How to Bleach Clothes Using Lemons
Instead of purchasing bleach during your next shopping trip, pick up a bag of fresh lemons. Lemon juice whitens clothes and removes stains naturally, so you do not have to use harsh chemicals like bleach. Some delicate fabrics cannot withstand chlorine bleach. Lemon juice dissolves stains and whitens fabrics without weakening fibers or causing holes to form. Lemons also do not harm the environment and are not poisonous to children or pets. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Fresh lemon juice
- Laundry detergent
- Kitchen pot
- Sliced lemon
- Spray bottle
- Table salt
Instructions
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Select a kitchen pot large enough to hold the clothing you want to bleach. Pour water into the pot, and bring the water to a boil. Add one sliced lemon to the boiling water. Turn off the heat on the stove top. Add the clothes to the pot, and let them soak for one hour. Launder the clothes according to the care label.
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Squeeze three or four drops of lemon juice over oil stains on fabrics, and then launder them immediately.
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Pour lemon juice into a spray bottle. Spray tough stains with the lemon juice, and then hang the item outdoors in the sunlight. The combination of the lemon juice and sunlight bleaches stains. Launder the fabric after you remove the stain.
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Dampen stains with water. Mix an equal amount of lemon juice and table salt. Apply the solution over the stain, and place the fabric outdoors in the sun to bleach the stain. Rinse the area thoroughly, and launder the fabric as usual.
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Pour 1/4 to 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice into the washing machine with your regular detergent.
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Tips & Warnings
When purchasing lemon juice, make sure the product states that it is fresh lemon juice, and not made from artificial ingredients, which may stain clothing.
Always test lemon juice on a small area of the fabric before you treat it, because lemon juice may lighten colors.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
